Woman admitted to being high on drugs when she decided to leave her baby, who was sIeeping in a vehicIe, only to go inside the home and forget about the child for 14 hours, when she found her unresponsive; sentenced

Florida – A Florida woman was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including aggravated mansIaughter in connection with her child’s death two years ago. Prosecutors say the woman, 25-year-old Cathreen and her boyfriend, who is the child’s dad, left the 1-year-old baby in a vehicle for nearly 15 hours, only for the child to die of hyperthermia with a body temperature of 108 degrees.

The mom and her boyfriend, 35-year-old Cristopher, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison, were high on drugs when they left the child in the vehicle overnight. They reportedly went to sleep and found the baby unresponsive after waking up around 4 p.m. the following day. 

The investigation process began in May 2023 after the 911 caller told the dispatcher that their baby was not breathing. First responders rushed on scene and found the child not breathing. They attempted life-saving measures and rushed the 1-year-old to the hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. The baby, who hasn’t been publicly identified, reportedly died of hyperthermia with a body temperature of 108 degrees, authorities in Florida said.

Both parents were taken into custody and later questioned. During an interview with investigators, the child’s mom reportedly said that she picked her baby and her older child from the babysitter before returning home. The woman then realized that the baby was sleeping in the vehicle, so they decided to leave the 1-year-old in the vehicle and went inside. Both parents, high on drugs, then fell asleep and didn’t wake up until 4 p.m. the following day. The woman then found the baby and called 911 immediately. 

During an interview with investigators, the 25-year-old mother reportedly confessed to leaving the baby in the vehicle for nearly 14 hours and being high on drugs before she fell asleep inside the home. The baby’s dad was uncooperative and did not wish to give authorities a statement. Prosecutors were prepared to call witnesses and present evidence proving the defendants were high on meth when they returned home after midnight.